Metropolis Noir
by Shae-Lynn1
Summary: Elliot suffers from postdivorce anxiety, Olivia gets seriously injured at a crime scene... Part 44 UP!
1. Metropolis Noir

_"Greasy jungle metropolis noir_

_Easy tangles the easiest so far..._

_...I saw your hands melt into one another_

_I saw you grieve and grow_

_Care a lot about one another_

_I stood at your sink_

_And I felt your warm water_

_I washed your dishes_

_And I looked out your kitchen window where I _

_Saw a soulful gymnast _

_Melt in the air and shudder_

_Just above the snow_

_Making moves that just weren't there_

_Velvet callow with wet hands_

_I turned out the lights and_

_Breathing shallow hesitated_

_Then went upstairs where_

_I picked up your housecoat_

_Dried my hands and _

_Touched your hair_

_And just then you awoke_

_You could never really barely care_

_Greasy jungle metropolis noir."_

_-From "Day for Night" by The Tragically Hip _

********** 

"Hello?" Elliot picked up the phone next to his bed, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. 

"Happy birthday!" It took him a moment to recognize the caller. 

"Hey, Lizzie! Thanks. How are you? How's Canada?" 

"We're okay..." Suddenly, the phone got snatched away by Kathy. 

"God, Elliot, I'm sorry. I forgot about the time difference out here in New Brunswick. Happy birthday." Elliot clenched his jaw. He pulled himself up and sat on the edge of the bed. Somehow, lying in bed while he talked with Kathy felt like he was lying in bed with Kathy again, a thing that was not likely to happen or even hoped for. 

"Thanks. Is everyone up?" 

"Yes. Here's Kathleen." 

"Hi, Dad," said Elliot's sullen middle daughter. 

"Good morning, sweetie. How's the holiday going?" 

"It is so boring. All we've done is go on stupid hikes and seen stupid whales," she grumbled. 

"Whales? That's not cool?" Elliot grinned at the sound of his daughter's voice. 

"Not really. But Stewart's going to take us to Quebec to see Cirque du Soleil next week, so that'll be good."  
"Next week? I thought you guys were coming back tomorrow." His face fell at the mention of Stewart, Kathy's boyfriend, but he was still struggling to process everything . 

"Hmm. We'll here's Dickie," she said quickly, passing off the phone to her little brother. 

"Happy Birthday, Daddy." 

"Hey there. Did you like the whales?" 

"Yeah, they were awesome," Dickie exclaimed. Elliot smiled until Kathy suddently interrupted again. 

"Sorry. It's me again. I guess Kathleen told you about Quebec. It's just - I need to spend time with my parents here, but the kids are so antsy," she said apologetically. 

Elliot felt like he had been slapped. 

"Wait a minute. You're letting Stewart take our children away for a week without you?!" Elliot demanded angrily. "You wouldn't let me leave them alone for an hour with Olivia." 

"Elliot, it's hardly the same thing. You don't even live with Olivia," she spat out the name as if it tasted bad. Elliot passed it over, although he could feel rage rising. 

"How much do you even know about Stewart? What if he's a pedophile?" He could hear Kathy weeping softly on the other end. 

"I can't believe you'd say something like that," she managed before hanging up on him. Elliot stared at the receiver in disbelief, wondering momentarily if he should call her back and tell her about the pedophile ring they had collared not too long ago. Then he set the receiver down defeatedly, pulling himself out of bed to face the day. 

"Happy birthday," he muttered. 

********** 

"Happy birthday, sweetie," Olivia greeted Elliot, handing him a smallish gift and kissing him lightly on the lips. He didn't respond, didn't even take the gift from her outstretched hand. "What's wrong?" She asked. He took the present and put it in his locker without opening it and Olivia followed him around to his side of the desk. He exhaled his frustration loudly. 

"The kids aren't coming back for another week," he said quietly, not looking at her as he sat down. She didn't answer at first, going to get two cups of coffee. She pulled her chair around and sat next to him, placing a mug in front of him. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" 

Elliot glanced around the squadroom, there weren't very many people there, and they weren't paying any attention to the two detectives anyway. 

"Maybe later," he said, trying not to sound harsh. He turned to look at her finally and saw the concern in her eyes. 

"Are we still on for dinner tonight?" She asked. 

"Dinner?" 

"I'm taking you out, remember?" 

"Yeah," he said, "I'm sorry, Liv. It just hasn't really felt like a birthday so far." 

"No kidding," she said. She stood up and rubbed his shoulder affectionately before taking her chair back around to her side of the desk. His phone rang and he answered it. While he was talking, Munch came in. 

"Good morning. How's the birthday boy?" He said, not noticing at first that Elliot was on the phone. Elliot held up a hand for him to wait. Munch shrugged and went to hang up his coat in the corner. 

"Where's your partner?" Olivia asked him. 

"He's going to be late. He slept in," Munch excused, "But if the Captain asks, he had an appointment." 

"Guys," Elliot interrupted, hanging up, "We've got an update on the Collin's case." 

"Let me guess, Jack's mother won't let him testify." 

"No, we've got another victim." 

********** 

They sat around the rectangular kitchen table. The little boy, the victim, sat at one end opposite his aunt, a matronly woman with white hair pulled into a stiff bun. Olivia and Elliot sat between them. The boy, Tommy Walton, sat up very straight with his hands in his lap and began his story. 

"My friend, Jack, went to Mr. Collins for piano lessons. One day I was supposed to go to Jack's house, so I had to wait for him while he went to piano." Elliot couldn't get the thought out of his mind that Tommy Walton was the exact age of his son, Dickie. 

"What happened at Mr. Collins' house?" Olivia asked gently. 

"Mr. Collins told Jack to start his excercizes and then asked me if I wanted a snack. I was pretty hungry, so I went into the kitchen with him." At this point, Tommy's lower lip began to shake. He blinked back tears. Olivia leaned closer to him. 

"It's okay, Tommy. Take your time. What happened next?" Tommy swallowed hard before continuing, cracking his knuckles anxiously. 

"Then Mr. Collins said he'd give me five dollars and a chocolate bar if he could touch me." 

"Where did Mr. Collins want to touch you?" Olivia asked. 

"Down my pants....you know," Tommy said softly. Olivia nodded in acknowledgement at Tommy's aunt, who was sitting very stiffly. 

"Thank you very much, Tommy. You've been very brave," she said, standing up slowly. Tommy's aunt walked the detectives to the door. 

"Will you need him to testify?" She asked. Olivia exchanged a glance with Elliot. 

"Maybe. We'll get back to you soon," Olivia replied. They walked back to the street. 

"Is something bothering you?" She asked Elliot, "You were pretty quiet in there." 

"You seemed to have it under control," Elliot said, conciously trying to appear relaxed. Olivia shook her head as she opened the car door. 

"I'll call Cabot. Two complaining victims. We should be able to pick him up," she said. 

********** 

"Greg Collins?" Olivia said at the door of the apartment. 

"Yes?" 

"Detective Stabler. This is my partner, Detective Benson," Elliot said, holding up his shield. 

"What can I do for you?" 

"This is a warrant to search your apartment," Olivia began. 

"Of course," Mr. Collins said, opening the door for the CSU team. "What's this about?" 

"This is a warrant for your arrest," Elliot said, taking out his cuffs. 

"What did I do?" Collins asked frantically. Elliot froze. At that moment, he was entirely sure that Kathy's boyfriend, Stewart, must look exactly like Greg Collins - seedy with flat, grey eyes and greasy orange hair. 

Olivia looked at Elliot when he didn't move. He looked startled, so she instinctively cuffed Collins herself and began heading to the car, hoping Elliot would regain his senses and follow. 

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney..." 

********** 

"What is going on?" Olivia demanded when they were in the elevator back at the precinct. Elliot pinched the bridge of his nose. 

"I don't know," he said, shaking his head, "I just froze." 

"You know you can talk to me, right?" She implored. The distress in her eyes was so apparent that Elliot nearly flinched. 

"Yeah," he said and hugged her so he didn't have to look at her face. 

When they got back to the squadroom, Munch and Fin were just heading out. 

"Where are you going?" Elliot asked. 

"CSU found Collins' day planner. We're going to go interview the rest of his students," Munch said. Elliot turned to follow them. 

"The Captain says you two can take the rest of the day off," Fin informed them. "Happy Birthday." And Olivia and Elliot were left standing in the squadroom. 

"So what do you want to do?" Olivia asked. 

"It's five o'clock now," Elliot observed. 

"Are you sure you still want to go out? If you aren't up to it, we can postpone it.." 

"No. I'm fine. I'll go home and take a shower. I promise I'll try to have fun." 

"Don't go out of your way," she replied sarcastically. Elliot smiled. 

"I'll pick you up at seven. I've got some finishing up to do here." 

"Okay. See you then." Elliot went into one of the incident rooms to use the computer. He shut the venetian blinds, not wanting anyone to see what he was looking up. 

********** 

Olivia was standing in the bathroom, putting the finishing touches on her makeup when Elliot buzzed her on the intercomm. She let him up and met him at the door wearing a short black dress. 

"Hey," she said, stepping out into the hallway and locking her door. 

"Hey," he said, "I opened your present. Thanks." He definitely appeared calmer, and he put an arm around her easily as they headed down. 

"You're welcome," she smirked, "Are you wearing them?" He grinned mischeviously. 

"You'll have to wait and see." 

********* 

After dinner, Elliot didn't bother to formally invite Olivia back to his apartment. It was an unspoken consensus. So they just held hands in the elevator, trying to ignore the fire in their fingertips. 

Once inside Elliot's place, their mouths were on each other, hot and demanding. Olivia undid Elliot's shirt hastily as she kicked off her shoes. She backed Elliot into his bedroom. Once in there, he bent his head down and kissed her neck slowly as he eased the straps of her little black dress off her shoulders. Olivia reached down and undid Elliot's pants. He stepped out of them, revealing the boxers she had given him. He could see her smiling in the dim light from the window. 

She turned around and Elliot unzipped her dress. It fell off her and she stood before him in a black bra and panties. Elliot sucked in his breath before bending his head to kiss her, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her up onto the bed. 

He filled his hands with her - curves, slender lines, felt a primitive thrill when she shuddered against him. His blood surged as her breath caught, then released on a moan when he snapped open the clasp of her bra and his mouth replaced his hands. She somehow managed to slip off his boxers and her panties ended up somewhere on the floor. 

He slid his hands up her legs, groaning at the length of them. Finally, he gripped her hips and her arms locked around him posessively. For an instant, it seemed the world went still. 

"Yes," Olivia breathed. 

Then he drove himself into her. Their pace became more frenzied and she came first, calling his name as climax shook her. He plunged after her and it felt like he had been raked by claws, one long swipe that cut through his system. 

After a minute, he rolled off her and they lay there, catching their breaths and enjoying the hazy afterglow. 

Elliot couldn't sleep, even though he was thoroughly exhausted. He was sure Olivia was, too, but she seemed to sense his emotional baggage and she lay awake, watching him silently, giving him time. After a minute that felt like forever, he sighed. 

"The kids are going to Quebec for another week. With Kathy's boyfriend." Olivia nodded, spreading an open hand on his chest in comfort. "Kathy's not going with them." 

"What?" Olivia said suddenly. "They've only been living together for a couple of months." Her complete understanding of his viewpoint made him feel better. 

"She wants to stay with her parents and the kids don't want to stay there." 

"Did you offer to take them back here?" Elliot shook his head. 

"They were excited. They'd be angry at me." 

"Elliot," she said softly, unable to come up with words to fit the moment. She brought her hand up to his tight jaw and held it there, moving his head so he looked into her deep brown eyes. He felt so incredibly thankful for her presence at that moment that his heart felt clouded over with his love for her. He moved over and kissed her slowly, worshipfully before wrapping her in his arms, tension subsided, and succumbing to sleep. 

********** 

He never meant for it to happen, but he just had to phone Kathy, to try again to get his kids away from Stewart Reagh. He had been driving to work with Olivia early in the morning when he realized that he didn't care if the kids were angry with him - angry was better than violated. 

"Could you go in there and grab some coffee?" Elliot suggested, pulling over at a gas station. 

"Why? They have coffee at work," she said, mildly irritated. 

"I need to call Kathy," he said, apology in his tone. She nodded understandingly. 

"Okay. How much time do you need?" 

"Just a few minutes. Thanks, Liv." 

She got out of the car and headed into the gas station. But when she opened the door, it became apparent that something was not quite right. Everything was eerily quiet except for some radio talk show filtering in from a back room. 

"Hello?" Olivia called. She thought she heard a rustling behind her, so she whipped around, but no one was in the aisle. She leaned over the counter, heart thudding and nearly screamed in shock. The cashier was lying on the floor with a bullet in her head. Olivia hadn't expected a crime scene this early in the morning. She took a quick glance around to make sure the perp was gone before going around to the body and kneeling beside it. She pulled out her phone and was in the middle of dialing in, holding the body's feathery wrist, when she felt a sharp blow to the back of her head which sliced through her vision before everything went black. 

********** 

More to come in a few days....please take a second and review! 


	2. Easy Tangles

"Damn," Elliot said at a third busy signal. He kicked the tire of his car, having got out in order to get better reception. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a man running out from behind the station. It didn't click at first, but then he dropped the phone on the pavement. "Olivia," he said, breaking into a run toward the gas station. He didn't see anyone at first, but then he found her, lying face-down across the cashier with the bullet through her head. "No, no, no," he murmured as he turned Olivia over. He couldn't see if she had been shot and he checked her for a pulse, trying not to wince at how cold her wrist felt under his fingers. But the pulse was there and Elliot felt relief swamp him. 

He reached into his pocket for his phone to call for emergency services, then realized that his phone was lying in the parking lot. So he used the phone behind the counter, pulling it down so he could crouch next to Olivia while he used it. 

"I'm sorry, Liv," he whispered to her, "I am so sorry." 

********** 

Dr. Charter found Elliot pacing in the hospital waiting room. 

"Detective Stabler?" Elliot was standing in front of the doctor before he finished saying it. All the possibilities for Olivia flashed through his mind, the main one being that she might be in a coma. 

"What happened? Is Olivia all right?" The doctor's face was inscrutible, but he nodded. 

"Detective Benson suffered multiple concussions. It looks like she was hit with something from behind, then fell forward and hit her forehead on a countertop or another edge. She'll be all right." 

"Can I talk to her?" Elliot asked. 

"She's still unconcious right now and I don't want to wake her up before I finish my tests. Her scans will be back within the hour. She was very lucky. If the angle on the first blow had changed slightly, it would've killed her then and there." 

"Can I sit with her?" Elliot asked, wondering where she was in these white, sterile halls. 

"I think that would be fine," Dr. Charter smiled. "Two-ten. Just down the hall on your left." 

********** 

Olivia's eyelids flutterred and she cringed as an intense white light filled her vision. She blinked the light back until she could make out the surroundings. She tried to move her head slightly but the pain was so incredible that she nearly cried out. After a time, she managed to move her head and she saw Elliot, who had fallen asleep in his chair, his head leaning on her hospital bed. She took her hand and rested it on the back of his neck, smiling down at him. It woke him up and he raised his head. 

"Hey," he whispered, as if speaking loudly would shatter her. "How are you feeling?" She grimaced. 

"I feel like I just got my ass kicked. What happened? I can't move my head." She could see a frown forming on his face. 

"You don't remember anything?" Elliot asked, stalling. 

"Just getting out of the car at the gas station. That's it." 

"You don't remember finding the body?" 

"Body?" 

"The gas station had been held up. You found the cashier dead. Someone hit you, probably the same guy, and when you fell, you hit your head again," Elliot said, "When I found you, I thought you were dead." Emotion broke into his voice. "I'm so sorry, Liv." 

"It's not your fault," Olivia said. "Did you get through to Kathy?" Elliot looked at her, surprised. She had almost died, and now _she _was concerned about _him. _He shook his head. 

"No. But it's okay." She raised her eyebrows and he smiled. "Don't worry about me." He stood up to kiss her but when he pulled back, he saw her wince in pain. "I'll go get someone." 

He returned with a nurse. 

"Doctor Charter will be here when he's done his rounds," she explained, "How are you feeling?" She asked Olivia. Olivia repeated what she had told Elliot. "All right," the nurse replied, going to a cabinet and filling a syringe. She returned to inject it into Olivia's IV tube near the wrist. "The pain should get better soon, but you might feel a bit drowsy," the nurse said. 

"Thank you," Olivia answered. "When can I go home?" 

"You'll have to ask Dr. Charter, but he'll probably want to keep you for another day," the nurse finished as she headed back out into the hall. 

"That bad, huh?" Olivia asked Elliot. 

"You're going to be fine," Elliot reassured. 

"Do I look awful? Tell me the truth." 

"You've got a pair of black eyes and a large green bruise on your forehead. You've probably got another one on the back of your head, too." Seeing the look on her face, he added, "You look terrific." 

She stifled a yawn after a while. 

"How long was I unconscious?" 

"Eighteen hours, thirteen minutes," Elliot replied. She was obviously getting tired from the painkillers, but he was just tired from anxiousness and staying up. He rubbed his eyes. Olivia yawned again. 

"I'm getting really sleepy," she murmured, eyelids closing slowly. 

"That's okay. Go to sleep," he said. 

********** 

Two days later, Olivia was released from the hospital and Elliot took her home. 

She took her key out of her pocket, but it took her three tries before she got it in the lock. 

"Need any help?" Elliot offered. 

"I'm all right. Just a little dizzy." She had been having problems since the attack, but she had lied to Dr. Charter, faking away what she could - the stars behind her eyes, the ringing in her ears, so she could go home. 

She turned on a couple of lights and Elliot followed with his bags. 

"You can just put your bags in my room. Unless you'd rather..." 

"No, I'm okay," he said, following directions. When he returned, Olivia was sitting at the table, squinting at a list from Dr. Charter of symptoms of post-concussional syndrome. She set it down, a look of frustration on her face. 

"Could you read this to me? I'm having trouble seeing," she admitted. 

Elliot sat across from her and took the paper. 

"Well, I think you know about most of these." 

"Read them anyway." 

"All right. Persistent headaches, nausea, vomiting, loss of coordination, momentary loss of vision or hearing." 

"Sounds like me, all right," she interjected. 

"Loss of emotional control. Extreme apathy, irritability, anger, or depression." 

"Lots to look forward to." 

"Hmm. Sarcasm's not on here," Elliot said with a smile. Olivia bopped him on the arm. He continued, "Loss of sex drive. Increased sex drive." 

"That doesn't make sense," she interrupted. 

"I think it's one or the other, Liv." 

"Oh. Well for your sake, let's hope it's not the first one," she grinned, "Is that it?" 

"Fatigue and loss of appetite," he finished. 

"Yeah, about that fatigue item," she said, "Is it too late to take a little nap?" 

"I have to go to the precinct and pick up something. Will you be okay?" 

"Sure." 

********** 

"How's she doing?" The question came from Cragen, who stood in the doorway of his office as Elliot came out of the incident room. Elliot felt a flash of guilt, hoping the Captain wouldn't ask about the files he was holding. 

"Not too bad. The doctor says she can be back to work by next week if she keeps improving." 

"Well, tell her I'm thinking about her." 

"Sure. Thanks, Captain." 

"Elliot," called Munch from his desk. He was leaning back in his chair casually. "The two-two called. They got the guy who attacked Olivia. Do you think she can ID him?" Elliot walked over to him and stood, arms behind his back, phrasing his answer carefully. 

"She never saw the guy." 

"Is there something you didn't tell us before?" Fin asked. Elliot let out a breath and decided to come clean. 

"She's having....memory lapses. Mostly about the incident." Fin nodded sympathetically. It was obviously freaking Elliot out. 

"Well, he's getting a needle in his arm for the cashier here and another at a gas station he hit last month, and he's on the surveillance tape for both attacks, so he'll go down for this," Munch stated, dangling a pen between his fingers. Elliot nodded. 

"What's going on with Greg Collins?" 

"He got indicted today. We had him meet with Huang. Cabot says it looks good if none of the victims pull out," Munch informed Elliot. 

"How many were there?" 

"Three more boys and Jack's sister, Kathleen," Fin listed. Elliot mentally flinched at the coincidental mention of his daughter's name. 

"So we've got him. Good. Can you keep me posted?" The two detectives nodded to him. 

"Say hi to Olivia," Munch called after him. 

********** 

Elliot opened the door and walked into the apartment quietly, assuming Olivia would be asleep. He looked into her room, but she wasn't there. Then he heard the toilet flush. 

"Liv?" He called. The bathroom door opened and she came out, wiping her mouth with a cloth, looking extremely pale. "Aww, Livvy," he said, pulling her weak body into a hug. She didn't even protest at the baby name. Instead she just stood limply, spent, leaning into his chest. He rubbed her back in steady circles until she pushed him off with a strangled noise. 

"I'm going to throw up." She ran back down to the bathroom. 

Elliot went into the kitchen and started boiling water for tea. She came and found him when she was finished and he handed her a mug. She took it into her bedroom and he followed. "Thanks," she said finally when she had climbed under the covers and he lay beside her on top of the blankets. 

"It's gingko tea. Munch sent it It's supposed to be good for....you," he said. He had been about to say it was good for your memory, but he could tell this whole thing scared her more than it scared him, especially when she had blanks in her memory, or uncontrolled emotional outbursts. She seemed lost. 

"Could you pass me a T-3?" Elliot picked the bottle of painkillers out from the row of medications on the bedside table. She downed the pill with a sip of tea and then moved to lie down. Elliot helped her with her pillows and sat with her until he was sure she was asleep, running a hand lightly over the bruise on her forehead. 

********** 


	3. Grieve and Grow

He woke up at five in the morning, unablet to go back to sleep, and tried to get out of bed without waking Olivia. She had been feeling significantly better, but he wanted to let her sleep. He looked through the clothes he had hung up in what was now "his half" of "their closet." But when he reached up to grab a tie, he felt an acute stiffness in his shoulders. So he decided to take a shower and ran the spray hot to ease his muscles. 

The muscles in his belly contracted when Olivia stepped in behind him, slipped her arms around him, and pressed her wet body against his back. 

"I thought you might share," she said, nipping playfully at his shoulder. 

"Liv," he said, trying to keep his voice flat, "The Doctor said you shouldn't be doing.....this type of thing for a week. Besides, it's five in the morning." 

"It's almost been a week. Six days," she said. 

"Are you sure this isn't the concussion talking?" He said when she turned him quickly to face her. 

"No. Are you saying we should ignore it?" She inquired, looking down to see his answer. She raised her head and met his eyes, grinning. 

He dragged her with him under the pounding spray. 

"You have the water too hot," she told him, turning her head as his mouth rubbed along the side of her throat. 

"I needed hot." 

She picked up a bottle and squirted some of the pale green liquid over his head. 

"Wait! What is that?" 

Amused, she reached up to lather it in his short hair. Suds slid down their bodies, slicking them. 

Steam rose as they washed each other. Slippery hands over slippery skin aroused in slow beats. 

Her mouth was wet and warm and her low moans mixed with the sound of drumming water. 

As the air turned sultry, he turned her so that he could trace kisses over her back, so that he could cup her breasts. His thumbs scraped her nipples while her back arched in pleasure. 

"Please," she turned to him. He saw the need on her face. 

"Now," he whispered and slid into her, achingly slow. 

And she felt herself open, and give. 

She gripped his shoulders. Long strokes so that pleasure was a low, sustained beat. He focused on the need to prolong and hold the moment. Her blood pulsed, seemed to sing under her skin until she came in an endless, warm wave, and her mouth pressed to his as she rode it. 

They ended up back in bed. She clicked off the bedside lamp and snuggled up next to him. 

********** 

They both awoke to the ringing of Elliot's cell phone. Olivia rolled over, releasing him to answer it. 

"Hello? Yeah," he paused, listening, "Give me an hour," he finished. 

"What was that?" Olivia asked as Elliot pulled on some clothes. 

"The Captain needs me to go meet with one of my sources for this case they're working on. I'll be back by early afternoon," he said. Then he stopped, looking back at Olivia in the darkness, "Are you going to be all right? I can tell them I can't go," he offered. 

"No," she said with a wave of her hand, "I'm feeling a lot better today." Elliot nodded uncertainly. 

"Okay. How about I pick up a movie for tonight?" 

"Sure," she said, "How about a drama? Maybe something British?" She pulled herself out of the bed and picked out a pair of blue flannel pyjamas, putting them on before getting back into bed. By the time Elliot left, she had already fallen back to sleep. 

********** 

She woke a couple of hours later to a loud knocking at the door. 

"Damn, Elliot," she called, padding down the hall in her blue pyjamas, "Did you forget your key?" She peeked through the peephole just in case and saw a shield held up to it as whoever it was knocked again. She opened the door and saw two detectives she vaguely recognized. 

"Detective Mercer, Detective MacLean," she greeted with false politeness, "To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from Internal Affairs?" 

"Detective Benson, can we come in?" MacLean asked. 

"I'm on sick leave," she said pointedly, stepping back to let them into the messy apartment. 

"Yes. And we're sorry about your accident. That's partly why we're here," Detective Mercer said. "We'll give you a minute to get dressed," he added, glancing down at her attire. 

"Okay," she said, "You can sit in the kitchen." 

She went back into the bedroom and quickly pulled on a sleeveless turtleneck and pants. She didn't trust the IAB around her stuff. When she returned, the two detectives were rifling through the papers on the table. Mercer sat and MacLean stood in the corner as if overseeing the room. "What are you doing?" She exclaimed. She felt anger bubbling inside her, threatening to spill over. 

_*This is not the time.*_

__The detectives both acted as if there was nothing wrong. They were both large men, balding, though Mercer had a goatee as if to offset it. 

"Please sit down," Detective MacLean began, gesturing to the chair opposite Detective Mercer. She obediently sat, crossing her arms defensively. "This will probably be routine," MacLean stated, "You were the primary on the case last month where Thomas Reagh abused his five-year-old daughter?" 

"Yes," she said slowly. 

"Why was it reopened?" Mercer asked shortly. 

"It wasn't." 

"Then why did you pull financials and phone records on a relative of his, Stewart Reagh, saying they pertained to the investigation?" 

"I must've had a reason, but...." She trailed off. She had no memory of the event. 

"Don't tell me," MacLean said sarcastically, "You forget." 

"I do forget," she said, voice beginning to shake, "The concussion..." 

"Well, this is your badge number on the form," Mercer said, handing her a sheet of paper on which was her information request. It was her badge number, all right, but it was Elliot's writing. She would've been able to tell that anywhere. Suddenly, it hit her. 

*_Stewart*_

__She didn't answer the detectives and finally Mercer sighed. 

"All right. Try and remember and we'll stop by again tomorrow." She swallowed and Mercer stood up, practically rolling his eyes at MacLean. They let themselves out, leaving Olivia sitting at the kitchen table. 

As soon as she heard the door shut, she picked up a glass that was sitting on the table and hurled it at the wall, shattering it before breaking into involuntary sobs. 

********** 

Elliot opened the door of the apartment. 

"Liv," he called. He didn't get an answer. He found her curled up on the couch, crying softly. She couldn't stop. "What's wrong?" He asked gently, kneeling down. She sat up abruptly and dropped a crumpled paper ball at his feet, wiping her eyes roughly with her hand. He opened the paper slowly and saw the information request he had filled out. His face fell at the sight of it and his heart sank. 

"How could you do this?" Olivia said, barely contained. "You could've cost us both our jobs with our IAB history." 

"Liv, it was only a couple of files. No one got hurt, or anything," he said. 

"Why don't you tell that to Mercer and MacLean?" She spat out. 

"They were here?" She nodded. He sighed. 

"Why didn't you tell me, Elliot? I would've backed you," she said softly. Elliot went to sit next to her on the couch, but she stood up so her back was to him. 

"I didn't want to get you involved," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off. 

"But you did. That was my number on the request form." 

"I'm so sorry," he said truthfully. Olivia turned around and Elliot thought he might be forgiven. 

"I think you should go back to your apartment," she stated bluntly. He nodded in acceptance, grabbing an armful of clothing out of their room and not bothering to pack it before leaving. He shut the door gently behind him. 

Olivia picked up the movie that he had left on the counter. 

It was *The End of the Affair* 

********** 

Maud - Merci beaucoup. I wish I could write for the show! 

Fran - Loved the worm analogy. Sorry to have to keep you in suspense. 

Kirsti - Thanks a lot for your comments. 


	4. Then You Awoke

_Here's the last part. I'd just like to comment on the new reviews. Judy - sure Olivia gets a head injury, but doesn't Elliot also go through a painful divorce? It's funny how everyone immediately sympathizes with Olivia.... Barb + Maud - Thanks so much._

__*********** 

Elliot got back to his empty, hollow apartment to find his answering machine blinking. He pressed the PLAY button, hoping it was Olivia. 

The first message was blank air. 

The seond message was from Kathy. 

"Hi, it's me," she began, "We're all back safe and sound so give us a call when you get in and we can talk about when you want to take the kids." 

He called back and got their machine - Kathy and Stewart's. He left a message saying that work was a bit unstable and he'd call them in a couple of days. He needed to fix this problem before he could see the kids. He figured another day with their mother wouldn't kill them. It was better than spending it with him when he was extremely distracted. 

Then he sat down at the table and began drafting a letter to the I.A.B. 

********** 

The cell block was bleak, cold, sterile, and her footfall echoed loudly down the corridor as she approached the cell. 

She rounded the corner tentatively, opened the creaking door, and saw Officer Luke Edmunds sitting at the table, staring into space. 

"Partners are like blood," Edmunds stated, turning to look her in the eye. His voice cut right into her. She whirled around and saw Alex Cabot sitting at her desk. 

"Olivia," Alex said earnestly, imploring, "Why are you doing this?" 

"Because this kid is in trouble," she heard herself answer even as colours and beams of lights swirled around her and Alex's face was replaced by Ashley Austin-Black's, the cell block turning into the sidewalk outside the girl's house. The girl raced out of Olivia's grip and ran into the street. She chased her, impulsively grabbing the screaming child, hearing drowned by the truck which beeped its trajectory as it backed up. 

Then Luke Edmunds stood on the sidewalk. He half-smiled at her as she put Ashley down, as if he knew a deep, dark secret. 

"Partners are like blood," he repeated strongly. 

Olivia's eyes snapped open and she lay in bed, calming her breathing, reaching to her dresser for a glass of water. She looked at the clock - three thirty-six a.m. Five hours before she could call Mercer and MacLean. 

********** 

Elliot came into the squadroom and headed over to Munch and Fin after looking around. 

"Where's the Captain?" He asked. 

"In the interview room with Benson and those guys from I.A.B. Do you know what that's all about?" Fin asked. Elliot shrugged, even though he had a pretty good idea. He walked down the hall for some water, glancing nervously at the interview room. Through the window, he could see Mercer and MacLean stand up, followed by Olivia and the Captain. The door opened and he tried to appear nonchalant as they filed out. 

Olivia went right to the corner of the squadroom to get her coat and Elliot tried to ignore the jolt that happened when he saw her. Mercer acknowledged Elliot as he left with his partner. 

"Detective Stabler." Elliot nodded, then followed Olivia. 

"Olivia. I have to talk to the Captain, but we need to sort this out. Will you wait a minute?" 

"Okay," she said reluctantly, swallowing so that her voice didn't sound so choked. Her clenched jaw and tense posture told him she was still having trouble reining in her emotions and she shut her eyes tightly when he brushed a hand down her arm. 

He found Cragen sitting at his desk, filling out some paperwork. 

"Captain, I need to give you my statement on this incident," Elliot began, shutting the office door. 

"I don't think it's necessary, Elliot. You can verify Benson's statement if you really want." Cragen's voice didn't sound angry at all, which Elliot found confusing. 

"Can I read it?" Cragen handed over the paper. A short paragraph was written in Olivia's neat printing, then signed with a flourish at the bottom. Elliot scanned it, then handed it back. "All right. If you don't think I need to." He finished it and was suddenly anxious to get out. 

"I.A.B. Seemed satisfied with this," Cragen stated off-handedly. 

"All right. I've got one more day off, so I'll be in again on Thursday," Elliot said quickly, exiting the office. Olivia was sitting at her desk, reading through a file and Elliot came up to her. 

"Where should we go?" She asked, voice expressionless. 

"Well, I need to get the rest of my stuff from your place," he said slowly, not wanting to acknowledge what her agreement to this would mean. 

"All right." 

********** 

They took separate cars and met there, Elliot arriving slightly before Olivia. 

She let him in, unlocking the door steadily. As soon as they were both inside, Elliot turned to her. 

"Why did you cover for me?" She took off her coat before answering him, tossing it over a chair. 

"You're my partner," she said simply. 

"But you lied in your statement. You said the information was for an actual case. It was just me trying to keep my kids safe." 

"Partners are like blood," she said slowly, clarifying. He followed her to the couch, where she sat gingerly. 

"Olivia, I said I was sorry. I meant it. I love you," Elliot said surely, crouching down in front of her, looking into her eyes and taking her hand. She smiled slightly and nodded in acceptance. 

"Do you remember Ashley Austin-Black?" 

"Sure," he said, "Your hands are freezing," he added, warming them in his. 

"I would've done anything for her, even breaking a few rules....and she wasn't even my own child." Elliot moved, sat down beside her as she continued. "So I decided that if you could forgive me for something like that, I could forgive you for this." 

Elliot wrapped his arms around her, clung to her tightly. She broke the hug, then framed his face with her hands and kissed him slowly, as if memorizing his lips. "Do you really want to move out?" She murmured. 

"What do you mean?" 

"Well, we've still got one sick day left. Why don't we put it to good use?" Her breath was warm against his cheek as they rested their foreheads together. Elliot grinned. 

"What did you have in mind?" 

************ 

The End 

Please Review - it's good for your health! (I'll try anything) 


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